Under Lock and Key
by Damnable
Summary: After hearing a conversation she was not supposed to, Kagome is being held hostage by one of Tokyo's most richest men. Being under his costudy, will she learn to understand the complicated male and find love or would she fall for the lie and misjudge him?


Okay, this is the first chapter of this fic, and is practically the first fic I have ever written on my computer. I have no idea why "A letter in a bottle" was published first if it wasn't even my first one but, oh well. By the way, about ALIAB... I'm too lazy to update... I'm really sorry for all the people who have been constantly emailing me and I have said so at the second part of SUTCS... so here, I apologize again. That's why you shouldn't follow my fics XD I forget to update unless I'm being reminded of it..

Um anyway... This story had a warm place in my heart since it was my big FIRST, so be gentle though you might (probably) won't like it.

Ray.

* * *

"Okay, who wants cotton candy?"

"Me!" called the little boy, raising his short arms high.

"I want!" answered the young raven-haired girl next to him, one hand remained attached to her body as the other was leaping into the air as the younger boy's did.

"Me first!" he demanded, jumping up and down, "me first!"

"Now, now, Souta." The man whom was standing next to them and was talking turned to the guy who was behind the counter, taking from his hand a long stick which on it, encircling it, was a pile of pink cotton candy. Handing it to the raven-haired girl, he turned to face the little boy. "Kagome is your elder, and you should learn to-"

Souta knew that sentence by memory, therefore he interrupted the man, continuing the sentence himself, "respect your elders, I know, I know." He then pouted and crossed his little arms on his chest. "She always gets to have everything first."

Kagome smiled knowingly, mouth full of cotton-candy and raised a finger. He knew what was coming next. "That's because I'm older and wiser and-"

"Wrinkly." He hissed under his breath, while taking the stick his father handed him.

Her eyes grew wide at that. "What did you say!" her clutched fist was threatening at him. He choked at the bite he took off he sweet, sticky candy, deciding it'll be the best to sprint off and started on running.

"Come back here right away, you little insolent brat!" she called as she started after him, waving her arms at him, ignoring the fact the cotton candy stick was yet captured in her hand.

"And they didn't even say 'thank you'." The man next to the counter sighed, while a dainty-looking woman was hanging on his arm.

At the same moment both children turned their heads, never stop running, and at the same time waving one of their hands, a wide smile crossing their lips as they called, "thank you!" and turned to look back at their path.

The woman detached herself from the man's arm and waved her hand back, a worried look on her face. "Take care of each other!" she called while the two kids were getting further away from them. She sure hoped Souta wouldn't trip over something while running and get bruised, "and don't go too far! And do not speak with strangers!"

Hopefully Kagome, whom was the eldest and more mature than Souta, would hear her and act as mature as she handled Souta even though he made her upset.

Watching the two out of her sight and mingle with the crowd of the Fair, she lowered her arm and folded her arms on her chest with an anxious look. The man smiled at her as she fixed her glance at him for a moment in silence, until the moment she opened her mouth to speak, "do you think they will be okay?" she asked quietly, searching for the confirmation in his eyes.

"They will be just fine. They are Higurashi's." his eyes sparkle with mischief, amused with the thought she truly and sincerely is worried. "The blood of their mother is flowing through their veins."

She smiled at that. "Daisuke," she watched him with some inner conflict reflecting within her eyes, whether to ask what was on the tip of her tongue or whether not to, yet she decided on asking anyway. "What would you call our children?"

"In seriously need of couples therapy."

She managed to suppress a laughter that almost made it out through her lips and immediately scowled. "I'm serious, Daisuke."

He took her hand in his and guided her toward a nice corner at the edge of the Fair, a rather peacefully quiet one regarding the noise the rest of the area produced. They found an available patch of lawn in the quite populated area and sat between the other cheerful, young couples that gathered there.

He discovered the place once they entered the Fair an hour earlier, valued the quiet and solitude the place offered and decided that at the first free moment they will have, they'll go sit there. It was the perfect place for a peaceful conversation and it seems he wasn't the only one to think that, since the place wasn't as abandoned as it has been an hour before.

But that didn't bother him much. To him, they were alone anyway.

"I think they are wonderful, Satsuki." Her eyes asked for his earnest answer and he couldn't be more sincere. "They look like you with every passing day and I'm growing proud of them."

She granted him a bright smile and he bent forward and kissed her on the lips. "Now, how about I buy us some beer and buttered corn?"

* * *

Inuyasha was rambling tediously in his room, with no specific goal, frowning at the closed door. He felt like a trapped animal; knowing that if he wanted to go outside he should first go ask for the… ugh! The mere thought of it made him irritated!- permission of his older brother. Why was that? He didn't know, but he did know that if he was to leave without his brother's consent there were going to be a lot of trouble for him to be in. therefore he did the wisest thing he could.

He strode to the window with big, wide paces, ready to do anything but staying stuck in his room, even to get in trouble. He knew the reason for his being locked in the room was his fault, but he was not going to take neither responsibility nor the blame for his actions, all the more so the punishment. Therefore, he decided to do the first thing that jumped into his head.

Jump. That was the keyword. The window wasn't too high, that he remembers from the last time he did such a thing, and was being punished the same way. But the difference from now to then being... his brother's displeasure was bigger this time.

So he was hesitant this time. And while dawdling he heard the 'knack' of the door as it opened. Halting, he could have felt two golden eyes on his back; his head turns to face the person only to verify his suspicions.

The molten gold, cold stare he had to face belonged to no other than his to his older brother. He cursed quietly and turned body-fully to him trying to look casual. His brother's eyes darted between him and the window, only to be fixated on him once more.

"Inuyasha," his brother's voice was calm to the point of being gentle and Inuyasha was aware of the fact he was in trouble. How convenient. "I hope you weren't actually about to jump off that window." His eyes darted once more to the window seal; one edge of his lips raised in amusement as he added, "Then again, I don't."

How was he always able to make his blood boil so efficiently, Inuyasha did not know. But he did know that at that very moment he wanted to take his baseball club from the place where he left it on the grass in the back yard and hit his brother so hard on his thick head till he'll start seeing stars. And he wasn't talking about rock musicians.

Bearing his teeth, Inuyasha snapped, "fuck off, Sesshoumaru!" he then quieted, comprehension falling over him as he understood what he just said. Sesshoumaru's eyes watched him expressionlessly, as if his eyes were penetrating into his mind. He tried to keep on a steady glance, but his eyes faltered, trying to avoid the two golden spears that were his brother's eyes, and then murmuring offhandedly, "I'm going out."

Sesshoumaru raised an eyebrow at this. "Really?" a mocking smile lingered on his lips. "And who exactly gave you the permission of doing do?"

"Feh!" he dared to defy. "As if I need your permission to do anything I like!"

"Really?"

Not that he was actually interested with what his pest of a brother had to say, but the ridiculous thought of him defying this Sesshoumaru amused him endlessly.

"Yeah!" he spat thoughtlessly. He decided that as long as he is on the wave, he should take the opportunity to ride it. But he worried, for Sesshoumaru's eyes did not falter even once for the whole time he was there, and they were having this conversation for over than two minutes. _Does he not know how to blink?_ Anxiety welled inside of him, and he tried to hide it from his brother's hawk's eyes.

"I don't need to take orders from you!" he felt as if the cage's walls were closing in on him as his brother's eyes did not waver a bit. "You are not my father!" and for some reason he said the stupidest sentence he could have ever said and wished he didn't. "I've got money in the bank!" but when he noticed that, it was too late.

…

_What was it about the money?_ Sesshoumaru mused, bored at the display yet amused at the next thought that passed his mind.

"And who exactly do you think is depositing the money in you bank account, you twit?"

Inuyasha flinched at that, getting caught unprepared. "Yeah well… so…"

Sesshoumaru smirked triumphantly. "I expect you to be more obedient from now on." He turned to leave when Inuyasha called out his name. "Another thing you wish for, Inuyasha?"

The satisfaction he got from torturing the kid was enormous, and he caught himself from smiling as he was listening to his brother's persistently pleading.

"Come on, Sesshoumaru," he whined, "there's a Fair downtown, and it's really cool…" Inuyasha knew he wasn't convincing him that way. But what else could he do? "I'll buy you a goldfish!"

"With my money."

"Humph. You'd probably kill it on the second day anyway."

"And that's your great plan on trying to convince me?" another smirk lingered on his lips, "if so, I feel obligated to tell you, it isn't working."

"Come on, Sesshoumaru!... I promise you won't have to see me for the next three days except for food breaks!" Inuyasha was desperate, and he suspected Sesshoumaru knew it.

"hm… not enough." He hummed. The boy was desperate, he knew. He had to be an utter fool not taking advantage of that.

"Fine, a week!" last try, Inuyasha decided. If that doesn't work… nothing will.

Sesshoumaru was pondering about it for a little while; not really, of course. He was dawdling with the answer only to torture his younger brother for a little longer, but he already had his decision.

…

"Very well." Inuyasha sighed in relief, a smile lightly twitching his lips. "But." He bit the inner skin of his lower lip. Sesshoumaru's _but_s had never been a good sign. "You do not start today. You would probably stay out all day, so why waste precious time on something that is willingly happening and making us both happy?"

Inuyasha snorted, doubting as if Sesshoumaru ever was or ever would be happy. "You definitely are the brother of the year, aren't you?"

Sesshoumaru was about to leave as he halted next to the door, turning to look at his younger brother. "Another thing. Senaka is coming for dinner today. I expect you to be present." It wasn't a question, it was an order. And Inuyasha did not like it one bit.

He frowned. "That pest of employer of yours?" he asked, not pleased at the fact that his brother's _boss_ is to arrive, and not wishing to be around when he does. "Why do you even invite him here?"

"As I recall this is my house, and I do not owe you any explanations about my actions or the reasons concerning it." His voice was low. Too low. "But, since you already asked ever-so-politely, I would tell you that I have… a new job that needs to be done."

He was cold; his voice, his stare, his eyes; every move of his body.

He was an icicle.

Inuyasha huffed grudgingly. "Going to do one of your 'treatments' again?"

"Not that it is any of your business, but no." he answered, starting to feel revolted by his little brother's presence. "This job requires other traits than my-"

"High qualities and good looks?" he interrupted casually, looking at his nails as he ignored his brother's words.

"-to be done." Sesshoumaru continued, then turning a last glare at his impudent brother before deciding to ignore his last comment, adding coolly, "you better leave soon before I change my mind and have you locked up in your room, Cinderella."

He then left the room, closing the door behind him, leaving Inuyasha alone in his room.

"Keh!" he spattered, striding toward his closet and taking out some new jeans and a red T-shirt. "Somebody definitely needed to find a hobby." a hobby that wasn't summed up as to make him miserable.

And by saying that, he walked to the bathroom, the once neatly folded clothed not so folded anymore as he rested them on his arm, closing the door shut aggressively behind him.


End file.
